Salman Rushdie- 10 Questions

Salman Rushdie is an author of Indian descent whose work specializes in magical realism and satire. He is the winner of the prestigious Booker Prize, but is perhaps best known for his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses.Horst Tappe / Getty Images

Rushdie's first novel Grimus was met with critical acclaim, but did not fair well commercially. Rushdie's second novel, Midnight's Children, a novel about a child who was born on the midnight that India gained independance from Britain, won him the Booker Prizer and propelled him to literary stardom.Terry Smith / Time Life Pictures / Getty Images

Inspired in part by the life of the Muhammad but told in Rushdie's signature magical-real style, Rushdie's fourth novel, The Satanic Verses offended many Muslims, who saw the novel as an affront to their religion as well as blasphemous towards the Prophet.David Levenson / Getty Images

The Satanic Verses led Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, to issue a fatwa, or legal pronouncement, in 1989 that called for Rushdie's death. This forced theauthor into hiding, with 24-hour police protection provided by the British government. In the photo above, women holding symbolic Qurans and banners reading "We will kill Salman Rushdie" marched in the streets of Tehran, Iran and chanted for death to Rushdie in 1989.Kaveh Kazemi / Getty Images

Although the fatwa issued by Iran is still technically active, Rushdie no longer remains in hiding. In 2004 he married the Indian-American model and actress Lakshmi, twenty-three years his junior.BORIS HORVAT / AFP / Getty Images

Rushdie's latest work is a children's book entitled due out on November 16, 2010. The book is dedicated to his 13-year-old son, Milan, and is inspired by a myriad of influences such as the epic poem "Beowulf" and the video game "Super Mario."Ulf Andersen / Getty Images

Salman Rushdie- 10 Questions

British-Indian Novelist

Literary Tour de Force

Controversy

Fatwa

Padma

Luka and the Fire of Life

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